The amino-terminal domain of ORF149 of koi herpesvirus is preferentially targeted by IgM from carp populations surviving infection

Recombinantly expressed fragments of the protein encoded by ORF149 (pORF149), a structural protein from the common- and koi-carp-infecting cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) that was previously shown to be antigenic, were used to obtain evidence that its amino-terminal part contains immunodominant epitopes in fish populations that survived the infection. To obtain such evidence, nonspecific binding of carp serum tetrameric IgM had to be overcome by a novel ELISA protocol (rec2-ELISA). Rec2-ELISA involved pre-adsorption of carp sera with a heterologous recombinant fragment before incubation with pORF149 fragments and detection with anti-carp IgM monoclonal antibodies. Only in this way was it possible to distinguish between sera from uninfected and survivor carp populations. Although IgM from survivors recognised pORF149 fragments to a lesser degree than whole virus, specificity was confirmed by correlation of rec2- and CyHV-3-ELISAs, inhibition of rec2-ELISA by an excess of frgIIORF149, ELISA using IgM-capture, Western blotting, and reduction of reactivity in CyHV-3-ELISA by pre-adsorption of sera with frgIIORF149. The similarity of IgM-binding profiles between frgIORF149 (amino acid residues 42-629) and frgIIORF149 (42-159) and their reactivities with previously described anti-CyHV-3 monoclonal antibodies confirmed that most pORF149 epitopes were localised in its amino-terminal part.

Subglacial Lake Whillans microbial biogeochemistry: a synthesis of current knowledge

Liquid water occurs below glaciers and ice sheets globally, enabling the existence of an array of aquatic microbial ecosystems. In Antarctica, large subglacial lakes are present beneath hundreds to thousands of metres of ice, and scientific interest in exploring these environments has escalated over the past decade. After years of planning, the first team of scientists and engineers cleanly accessed and retrieved pristine samples from a West Antarctic subglacial lake ecosystem in January 2013. This paper reviews the findings to date on Subglacial Lake Whillans and presents new supporting data on the carbon and energy metabolism of resident microbes. The analysis of water and sediments from the lake revealed a diverse microbial community composed of bacteria and archaea that are close relatives of species known to use reduced N, S or Fe and CH4 as energy sources. The water chemistry of Subglacial Lake Whillans was dominated by weathering products from silicate minerals with a minor influence from seawater. Contributions to water chemistry from microbial sulfide oxidation and carbonation reactions were supported by genomic data. Collectively, these results provide unequivocal evidence that subglacial environments in this region of West Antarctica host active microbial ecosystems that participate in subglacial biogeochemical cycling.

Total synthesis of a functional designer eukaryotic chromosome

Rapid advances in DNA synthesis techniques have made it possible to engineer viruses, biochemical pathways and assemble bacterial genomes. Here, we report the synthesis of a functional 272,871-base pair designer eukaryotic chromosome, synIII, which is based on the 316,617-base pair native Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III. Changes to synIII include TAG/TAA stop-codon replacements, deletion of subtelomeric regions, introns, transfer RNAs, transposons, and silent mating loci as well as insertion of loxPsym sites to enable genome scrambling. SynIII is functional in S. cerevisiae. Scrambling of the chromosome in a heterozygous diploid reveals a large increase in a-mater derivatives resulting from loss of the MATα allele on synIII. The complete design and synthesis of synIII establishes S. cerevisiae as the basis for designer eukaryotic genome biology.

Observation versus initial treatment for men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BACKGROUND

Observation is underutilized among men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the costs and benefits of observation versus initial treatment.

DESIGN

Decision analysis simulating treatment or observation.

DATA SOURCES

Medicare schedules, published literature.

TARGET POPULATION

Men aged 65 and 75 years who had newly diagnosed low-risk prostate cancer (prostate-specific antigen level <10 µg/L, stage ≤T2a, Gleason score ≤3 + 3).

TIME HORIZON

Lifetime.

PERSPECTIVE

Societal.

INTERVENTION

Treatment (brachytherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or radical prostatectomy) or observation (active surveillance [AS] or watchful waiting [WW]).

OUTCOME MEASURES

Quality-adjusted life expectancy and costs.

RESULTS OF BASE-CASE ANALYSIS

Observation was more effective and less costly than initial treatment. Compared with AS, WW provided 2 additional months of quality-adjusted life expectancy (9.02 vs. 8.85 years) at a savings of $15,374 ($24,520 vs. $39,894) in men aged 65 years and 2 additional months (6.14 vs. 5.98 years) at a savings of $11,746 ($18,302 vs. $30,048) in men aged 75 years. Brachytherapy was the most effective and least expensive initial treatment.

RESULTS OF SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Treatment became more effective than observation when it led to more dramatic reductions in prostate cancer death (hazard ratio, 0.47 vs. WW and 0.64 vs. AS). Active surveillance became as effective as WW in men aged 65 years when the probability of progressing to treatment on AS decreased below 63% or when the quality of life with AS versus WW was 4% higher in men aged 65 years or 1% higher in men aged 75 years. Watchful waiting remained least expensive in all analyses.

LIMITATION

Results depend on outcomes reported in the published literature, which is limited.

CONCLUSION

Among these men, observation is more effective and costs less than initial treatment, and WW is most effective and least expensive under a wide range of clinical scenarios.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Defense, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.

Patient and societal value functions for the testing morbidities index

BACKGROUND

We developed preference-based and summated scale scoring for the Testing Morbidities Index (TMI) classification, which addresses short-term effects on quality of life from diagnostic testing before, during, and after testing procedures.

METHODS

The two TMI preference functions use multiattribute value techniques; one is patient-based and the other has a societal perspective, informed by 206 breast biopsy patients and 466 (societal) subjects. Because of a lack of standard short-term methods for this application, we used the visual analog scale (VAS). Waiting tradeoff (WTO) tolls provided an additional option for linear transformation of the TMI. We randomized participants to 1 of 3 surveys: The first derived weights for generic testing morbidity attributes and levels of severity with the VAS; a second developed VAS values and WTO tolls for linear transformation of the TMI to a "dead-healthy" scale; the third addressed initial validation in a specific test (breast biopsy). The initial validation included 188 patients and 425 community subjects. Direct VAS and WTO values were compared with the TMI. Alternative TMI scoring as a nonpreference summated scale was included, given evidence of construct and content validity.

RESULTS

The patient model can use an additive function, whereas the societal model is multiplicative. Direct VAS and the VAS-scaled TMI were correlated across modeling groups (r = 0.45-0.62). Agreement was comparable to the value function validation of the Health Utilities Index 2. Mean absolute difference (MAD) calculations showed a range of 0.07-0.10 in patients and 0.11-0.17 in subjects. MAD for direct WTO tolls compared with the WTO-scaled TMI varied closely around 1 quality-adjusted life day.

CONCLUSIONS

The TMI shows initial promise in measuring short-term testing-related health states.

A two-part model for reference curve estimation subject to a limit of detection

Reference curves are commonly used to identify individuals with extreme values of clinically relevant variables or stages of progression which depend naturally on age or maturation. Estimation of reference curves can be complicated by a technical limit of detection (LOD) that censors the measurement from the left, as is the case in our study of reproductive hormone levels in boys around the time of the onset of puberty. We discuss issues with common approaches to the LOD problem in the context of our pubertal hormone study, and propose a two-part model that addresses these issues. One part of the proposed model specifies the probability of a measurement exceeding the LOD as a function of age. The other part of the model specifies the conditional distribution of a measurement given that it exceeds the LOD, again as a function of age. Information from the two parts can be combined to estimate the identifiable portion (i.e. above the LOD) of a reference curve and to calculate the relative standing of a given measurement above the LOD. Unlike some common approaches to LOD problems, the two-part model is free of untestable assumptions involving unobservable quantities, flexible for modeling the observable data, and easy to implement with existing software. The method is illustrated with hormone data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Seasonal 25-hydroxyvitamin D changes in British postmenopausal women at 57 degrees N and 51 degrees N: a longitudinal study

The UK has insufficient intensity of sunlight at wavelengths 290-315 nm to enable cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D from October to April. There are regional differences in UVB strength throughout the UK but whether this translates to differences in vitamin D status is not known. We have reported seasonal variations in a cross-sectional study of over 3000 Scottish women in Aberdeen. The aim of this longitudinal study was to compare the seasonal variation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in postmenopausal women residing in Aberdeen (57 degrees N) and Surrey (51 degrees N). Women attended 3-monthly visits over 12 months, starting summer 2006. In Aberdeen, 338 Caucasian women (mean age+/-SD, 61.7+/-1.5 years); and at Surrey, 138 Caucasian women (61.4+/-4.5 years) and 35 Asian women (59.9+/-6.4 years) had serum 25(OH)D measured by IDS enzyme immunoassay. In winter/spring none of the Caucasian women living in Surrey had 25(OH)D<20 nmol/L, but nearly a quarter of women in Aberdeen were vitamin D-deficient. This number decreased to 4.2% in summer/autumn. For the Asian women 17.1% were vitamin D-deficient in summer, increasing to 58.1% in winter. Using higher 25(OH)D deficiency cut-offs, the percentage of women affected was much higher. These longitudinal data show clear differences in vitamin D status between the north and south of the UK, and marked ethnic differences. They are consistent with our previous data and with cross-sectional data from the 1958 birth cohort. The low vitamin D status may have implications for bone health and other health outcomes, which is currently being investigated in this publication group. The extent of vitamin D deficiency in Asian women residing in the South of England is of concern.

CLONEQC: lightweight sequence verification for synthetic biology

Synthetic biology projects aim to produce physical DNA that matches a designed target sequence. Chemically synthesized oligomers are generally used as the starting point for building larger and larger sequences. Due to the error rate of chemical synthesis, these oligomers can have many differences from the target sequence. As oligomers are joined together to make larger and larger synthetic intermediates, it becomes essential to perform quality control to eliminate intermediates with errors and retain only those DNA molecules that are error free with respect to the target. This step is often performed by transforming bacteria with synthetic DNA and sequencing colonies until a clone with a perfect sequence is identified. Here we present CloneQC, a lightweight software pipeline available as a free web server and as source code that performs quality control on sequenced clones. Input to the server is a list of desired sequences and forward and reverse reads for each clone. The server generates summary statistics (error rates and success rates target-by-target) and a detailed report of perfect clones. This software will be useful to laboratories conducting in-house DNA synthesis and is available at http://cloneqc.thruhere.net/ and as Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) licensed source.

In vivo activity of ARRY-543, a potent, small molecule inhibitor of EGFR/ErbB-2 in combination with trastuzumab or docetaxel

Abstract #2150

ARRY-543 is an orally active, potent small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting both EGFR and ErbB2. The compound is a reversible, ATP-competitive inhibitor with nanomolar potency in both in vitro and in cell-based assays showing strong activity against EGFR, HER-2 and ErbB-4. This compound has very good in vivo and in vitro PK/ADME properties and has shown excellent activity in numerous mouse tumor models including epidermoid (A431), breast (BT-474, MDA-MB-453), non-small cell lung (H1650, A549, 292), colorectal (Lovo, HT-29) and gastric (N87) carcinoma models. Here we demonstrate excellent single agent activity and combinability with trastuzumab or docetaxel in breast, gastric and ovarian carcinoma models. For the BT-474 studies, female SCID beige mice were implanted with tumor fragments. For the SKOV-3 and N87 tumor studies, female nude mice were inoculated with cells subcutaneously in the flank. Animals received: doses of ARRY-334543 ranging up to 200 mg/kg/d, PO; and/or trastuzumab at 20 mg/kg, IP, Q3D or QW; and/or docetaxel at 10 mg/kg, IV, Q3D. Tumor size was measured at regular intervals for up to 21 days. In the BT-474 model, ARRY-334543 demonstrated significant dose-related tumor growth inhibition (69% at 100 mg/kg/d and 98% at 200 mg/kg/d with significant regressions (&gt;50% reduction from baseline size) at both dose levels (3/12 in the 100 mg/kg/d group and 10/10 in the 200 mg/kg/day group). Trastuzumab alone provided a 53% TGI with a regression (1/12 animals). ARRY-543 (100 mg/kg/d) in combination with trastuzumab showed a 99% TGI with significant, regressions in 11/11 animals with 8CRs. Docetaxel as a single agent produced a 67% TGI with no regressions. In combination with ARRY-543 (100 mg/kg/d) there was an 88% TGI and significant regressions in 8/12 animals. In the SKOV-3 carcinoma tumor line (high ErbB2/medium EGFR expression), ARRY-334543 demonstrated significant dose related tumor growth inhibition (up to 90%) producing significant regressions in 6/8 animals. Trastuzumab alone produced a 71% TGI with significant regressions in 2/9 animals. ARRY-543 (100 mg/kg/d) in combination with trastuzumab yielded a 89% TGI with significant regressions in 8/9 animals. In the ErbB2-over-expressing gastric carcinoma tumor line N87, ARRY-334543 (100 mg/kg/d) demonstrated significant dose-related tumor growth inhibition (up to 74%) with 7/8 significant regressions. Trastuzumab alone provided a 52% TGI with no regressions. ARRY-543 (100 mg/kg/d) in combination with trastuzumab showed a 91% TGI with significant regressions in 7/8 animals. We have demonstrated excellent single agent activity for ARRY-543 in the SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma xenograft model as well as additive activity to trastuzumab in SKOV-3, BT-474 and N87 models. In the BT-474 model, ARRY-543 showed excellent additive activity to, and tolerability with, docetaxel. ARRY-543 is in several Phase II clinical trials in patients with advanced cancers.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 2150.

Local moment, itinerancy, and deviation from Fermi-liquid behavior in NaxCoO2 for 0.71< or = x < or =0.84

Here we report the observation of Fermi surface (FS) pockets via the Shubnikov-de Haas effect in NaxCoO2 for x=0.71 and 0.84, respectively. Our observations indicate that the FS expected for each compound intersects their corresponding Brillouin zones, as defined by the previously reported superlattice structures, leading to small reconstructed FS pockets, but only if a precise number of holes per unit cell is localized. For 0.71< or = x < 0.75 the coexistence of itinerant carriers and localized S=1/2 spins on a paramagnetic triangular superlattice leads at low temperatures to the observation of a deviation from standard Fermi-liquid behavior in the electrical transport and heat capacity properties, suggesting the formation of some kind of quantum spin-liquid ground state.

Shubnikov-de Haas effect in the metallic state of Na0.3CoO2

Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations for two well-defined frequencies, corresponding, respectively, to areas of 0.8 and 1.36% of the first Brillouin zone, were observed in single crystals of Na(0.3)CoO2. The existence of Na superstructures in Na0.3CoO2, coupled with this observation, suggests the possibility that the periods are due to the reconstruction of the large Fermi surface around the Gamma point. An alternative interpretation in terms of the long sought-after epsilon'(g) pockets is also considered but found to be incompatible with existing specific heat data.

Consensus statement on management of intersex disorders

Management of intersex disorders

Consensus statement on management of intersex disorders

The birth of an intersex child prompts a long-term management strategy that involves a myriad of professionals working with the family. There has been progress in diagnosis, surgical techniques, understanding psychosocial issues and in recognizing and accepting the place of patient advocacy. The Lawson Wilkins Paediatric Endocrine Society (LWPES) and the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) considered it timely to review the management of intersex disorders from a broad perspective, to review data on longer term outcome and to formulate proposals for future studies. The methodology comprised establishing a number of working groups whose membership was drawn from 50 international experts in the field. The groups prepared prior written responses to a defined set of questions resulting from an evidence based review of the literature. At a subsequent gathering of participants, a framework for a consensus document was agreed. This paper constitutes its final form.

Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and the magnetic-field-induced suppression of the charge ordered state in Na(0.5)CoO2

We have performed electrical transport measurements at low temperatures and high magnetic fields in Na(0.5)CoO2 single crystals. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations corresponding to only 1% of the area of the orthorhombic Brillouin zone were clearly observed, indicating that most of the original Fermi surface vanishes at the charge-ordering (CO) transition. In-plane magnetic fields were found to suppress strongly the CO state. For fields rotated within the conducting planes, we observe angular magnetoresistance oscillations whose periodicity changes from twofold to sixfold at the transition.

Thermodynamic and transport measurements of superconducting Na0.3CoO2.1.3H2O single crystals prepared by electrochemical deintercalation

Superconducting single crystal samples of Na0.3CoO2.1.3H(2)O have been produced using an electrochemical technique which dispenses with the usual bromine chemical deintercalation method. In fully hydrated crystals, susceptibility and specific heat measurements confirm that bulk superconductivity has been achieved. The extracted normal state density of states indicates Fermi-liquid behavior with strong mass enhancement and a modest Wilson ratio. Measurements of H(c2) for H parallel c and H parallel ab reveal significant anisotropy, and the extracted value for the coherence length is about 100 A, consistent with an extremely narrow bandwidth.

Characterization of nuclease-resistant ribozymes directed against hepatitis B virus RNA

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for > 350 million cases of chronic hepatitis B worldwide and 1.2 million deaths each year. To explore the use of ribozymes as a novel therapy for HBV infection, nuclease-resistant ribozymes that target highly conserved regions of HBV RNA were screened in cell culture. These synthetic ribozymes have the potential to cleave all four major HBV RNA transcripts and to block the HBV lifecycle by cleavage of the pregenomic RNA. A number of the screened ribozymes demonstrate activity in cell culture systems, as measured by decreased levels of HBV surface antigen, HBV e antigen and HBV DNA. In addition, a lead anti-HBV ribozyme maintains activity against a lamivudine-resistant HBV variant in cell culture. Treatment of HBV transgenic mice with lead anti-HBV ribozymes significantly reduced viraemia compared with saline-treated animals and was as effective as treatment with lamivudine. In conclusion, the therapeutic use of a ribozyme alone or in combination with current therapies (lamivudine or interferons) may lead to improved HBV therapy.

Fertility after unilateral cryptorchidism. Paternity, time to conception, pretreatment testicular location and size, hormone and sperm parameters

OBJECTIVE

To further evaluate whether fertility is decreased among a cohort of men with previous unilateral cryptorchidism as compared with a control group of men.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Formerly unilateral cryptorchid men who had undergone orchiopexy between the years of 1955 and 1975 at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and a control group of men who were matched for age of an unrelated surgery at the same institution were evaluated by review of medical records and by completion of a questionnaire. 359 previously cryptorchid men were identified as having attempted paternity. Of these men, 320 had information concerning preoperative testicular location and 163 for preoperative testicular size. 106 of these men had levels of testosterone, inhibin B, FSH, and LH measured, while 95 of the men had semen analyses.

RESULTS

Among men who had attempted paternity, there was no statistical difference in success of paternity between the previously unilateral group (89.7%) and the control group (93.7%). There was no difference in the mean time to conception (7.1 +/- 0.7 months for the unilateral group vs. 6.9 +/- 2.3 for the control group). Within the unilateral group in regard to success at paternity, no difference was found compared with the age of orchiopexy, preoperative testicular location, or preoperative testicular size. Inhibin B levels were lower among the unilateral group. FSH, LH, testosterone, sperm density, motility and morphology were not different, but considerable variation was noted within the cryptorchid group.

CONCLUSIONS

In this continued evaluation of a cohort of previously cryptorchid men who had undergone unilateral orchiopexy, paternity does not appear to be significantly compromised after unilateral cryptorchidism. Unilateral cryptorchidism appears to be one of several factors contributing to infertility, similar to those found in the general population. No correlation was found between success at paternity and the age of orchiopexy, preoperative testicular size or preoperative testicular location. Inhibin B levels were lower while FSH, LH, T and sperm parameters did not differ.

Laser in situ keratomileusis with a scanning excimer laser for the correction of low to moderate myopia with and without astigmatism

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of and patient satisfaction with laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) performed with a scanning excimer laser by experienced surgeons to correct low and moderate levels of myopia and astigmatism.

SETTING

Clinique Laservue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

METHODS

A consecutive series of 125 patients (236 eyes) with myopia of -0.5 to -7.0 diopters (D) and cylinder less than 2.5 D were enrolled in this single-center prospective clinical trial. The patients were treated with LASIK and followed for 6 months. The System-ALK Automated Corneal Shaper microkeratome (Bausch & Lomb Surgical) with a 180 microm thickness plate and the Technolas 217 excimer laser (Bausch & Lomb Surgical) with PlanoScan software for the stromal ablation were used in all procedures. Since this version of PlanoScan tended to undercorrect, a mean of 14.7% was added to the standard nomogram. Patient satisfaction was assessed by questionnaires administered preoperatively and 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Retreatments for enhancement were not performed during the 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Six months after LASIK (86.4% follow-up), the mean postoperative manifest spherical equivalent was +0.02 D +/- 0.64 (SD) compared with a preoperative mean of -4.01 +/- 1.59 D. The uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 94.6% of eyes and 20/20 or better in 81.9%. A total of 91.2% were within +/-1.0 D of emmetropia and 73.0% were within +/-0.5 D. Only 2 eyes were overcorrected by >1.0 D. Of the eyes with astigmatic myopia, 86.8% were within +/-1.0 D of the intended cylinder correction (by vector analysis) and 73.0% were within +/-0.5 D. The refractions were generally stable after 1 month, and the change in refraction between postoperative examinations was within +/-0.5 D in 88.0% of eyes. A 1-line decrease in best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was seen in 11.3% of eyes, and no eye lost more than 1 line. An increase of 1 or 2 lines was seen in 45.1%. No intraoperative problems occurred, and the interface was clear in all eyes. At 6 months, most symptoms present significantly more frequently than preoperatively were "mild"; none were "marked" or "severe." A total of 90.5% of eyes were reported with marked to extreme improvement in the overall quality of vision, and 99.0% of patients said they would choose LASIK surgery again.

CONCLUSIONS

Mild to moderate myopia, with and without astigmatism, was corrected safely, effectively, and predictably with a high degree of patient satisfaction using LASIK with a scanning excimer laser and the System-ALK Automated Corneal Shaper.

Fertility after bilateral cryptorchidism. Evaluation by paternity, hormone, and semen data

PURPOSE

Evaluation of the fertility of a cohort of formerly bilaterally cryptorchid men in comparison with a group of formerly unilaterally cryptorchid men, and a group of control men.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using a detailed questionnaire concerning paternity and factors related to paternity, a cohort of formerly bilateral cryptorchid men were studied and compared with men who had undergone orchiopexy for unilateral cryptorchidism, and a group of control men. All study subjects had had surgery at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., between 1955 and 1975. A subset of the full cohort underwent clinical evaluation that included a physical examination, serum hormonal determination and semen analyses.

RESULTS

Paternity rates are significantly lower among the formerly bilaterally cryptorchid men who have attempted to father a child (65.3%) as compared to the formerly unilaterally cryptorchid (89.7%; p < 0.001) and control men (93.2%; p < 0.001). Differences in the ability to father children are also apparent when semen and hormone levels are compared between the three groups. The bilateral group has significantly lower sperm density and inhibin B levels, and higher FSH and LH levels, than the unilateral and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Men born with bilateral cryptorchidism have severely compromised fertility in adulthood. This reduction in fertility is clearly shown in comparisons of both paternity rates, and in semen and hormone analyses, between the formerly bilateral, formerly unilateral, and control groups.

Cultural predictors of self-esteem: a study of Chinese American female and male young adults

This study examined how specific domains of cultural orientation (language, social affiliation, and cultural pride) related to self-esteem for a sample of 174 Chinese American male and 179 Chinese American female college students. Participants completed measures of cultural orientation (General Ethnicity Questionnaire; J.L. Tsai, Y.W. Ying, & P.A. Lee, 2000) and self-esteem (M. Rosenberg, 1965). Cultural orientation significantly predicted self-esteem, above and beyond the contribution of age, gender, grade point average, and socioeconomic status. Specifically, proficiency in English and Chinese languages and pride in Chinese culture were positively correlated with self-esteem, whereas affiliation with Chinese people was negatively correlated with selfesteem. The cultural predictors of self-esteem differed for Chinese American men and women. Whereas self-esteem was mainly related to pride in Chinese culture for Chinese American women, self-esteem was mainly related to English and Chinese language proficiency for Chinese American men. Implications of these findings for understanding Asian Americans are discussed.

No relationship of testicular size at orchiopexy with fertility in men who previously had unilateral cryptorchidism

PURPOSE

We determined whether testicular size at orchiopexy is predictive of fertility potential and whether size correlates with sperm parameters, hormone levels or testicular volume in adulthood.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Testicular size obtained from the operative notes of patients who underwent unilateral orchiopexy was classified as normal, small or large for age. These data were compared with outcome data. Paternity data were included on 166 men who reported achieving or unsuccessfully attempting paternity for 12 or more months. Of the men 49 provided blood for hormone level measurement, 43 underwent semen analysis and in 29 testicular volume was determined.

RESULTS

In the 166 men, including 98, 65 and 3 with small, normal and large testes for age at orchiopexy, respectively, there was no difference in paternity based on testicular size. Of those who achieved paternity time to conception did not differ based on size. Mean age at surgery also did not differ, nor did the percent of small versus normal testes in the age categories 0 to 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 11 years. There was no difference in men with small or normal testicular size at surgery in mean luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone or inhibin B. Sperm density, motility and morphology, and volume in adulthood of a previously undescended testis, previously descended testis or previously undescended and descended testes did not differ in these 2 groups, although the previously undescended testis was smaller than the contralateral testis.

CONCLUSIONS

In men with a history of unilateral cryptorchidism small testicular size at orchiopexy is not associated with decreased paternity (89.8%), abnormal hormone levels, a lower sperm count or decreased testicular volume in adulthood.